When the whole Ambedkar cartoon fiasco broke out in the parliament earlier this month, I was in quite a fix as to the stand I personally would like to take on this issue.
There in front of me was the cartoon, splashed on the front pages of The Hindu with a report on the proceedings in the parliament. Member of Parliament from my State, Thirumavalavan, was one of the first few to raise voice against the caricature. It showed the now deified icon of the Dalit community, B R Ambedkar, riding a snail that is the Indian constitution, with Nehru, the tallest nationalist icon, holding a whip lash nearby. The drawing was supposedly a humorous take on the slow pace of the drafting of our Constitution in 1949 and has been in existence in various forms since then.
My initial impression on the controversy was influenced by my marked suspicion on the figures involved in the whole issue. Thirumavalavan is known in the Tamil political scene for his "somersaults." For political gains, the man had been silent on an array of decisions by subsequent State governments that had adversely affected the Dalit community over the years. Such a figure hardly inspires any trust, especially when he invokes the now dreaded "hurt sentiments" argument.
That the UPA decided to field Kapil Sibal to take on the marauding MPs was even more perplexing. His decision to immediately apologise for the inclusion of the cartoon and order an inquiry was hardly surprising, given his penchant to censure even the slightest of dissent.
Also, apprehensions were raised on the timing of the controversy. After all, the cartoon has been in the textbook since 2006 and hardly a finger was raised in protest. Why Thiruma took such a long time to stumble upon the cartoon is a question that required some thinking.
Over the years, given my minimum experience in interacting with economically backward Dalits, I have realised that not many share the views of their leaders when it came to a number of issues. But this does not, in any sense, point to a lack of understanding of issues among Dalits. In the recent past, Dalits in Tamil Nadu have shown more political awareness than perhaps all other communities put together.
So it is but natural that I decided to test this issue of the alleged "derogatory" cartoon with the most common of Dalits on the streets. The testimonials I received were enlightening and at the same time showed the casual way in which the media dealt with this issue.
Take the case of Mohan (name changed), a sanitary worker in Cuddalore, for example. Having failed to attend schooling, he could hardly read a sentence even in the vernacular. Thus, accusations that he would have already been brainwashed by media reports and campaigns could hardly hold ground.
When I showed the copy of the cartoon to him and explained the reported context behind the drawing, Mohan was first sympathetic towards the artist. "Even in government offices, unless you put pressure nothing happens sir," he said, having a closer look at the figures on the paper.
However, after a prolonged pass, Mohan began to articulate his impression on the cartoon. "I think there is something wrong with the cartoon. You told me that Constitution (Arasiyal Sasanam in Tamil) took about three years. Is it not very important for our country? What is wrong in people taking more time to work on it? If something had gone wrong, who will suffer? Even the Taluk office takes 2 months to issue certificates for us" he pointed out.
His friend Vasu, holding iron rods to poke into the sewer, joined the conversation. "Sir, look at the cartoon. The crowd around Ambedkar is smiling when Nehru is trying to hit him. If delay in the work was the issue, should their faces not showcase anxiety. It is only when people see a wicked man punished will they laugh and feel happy. Was our Ambedkar a wicked man?" he asked, now fully engrossed in the picture.
When they finished with their initial interpretation of the cartoon, I further probed them to check if what MPs claimed as the sentiment of the masses was indeed true. So I asked them if they felt insulted by the caricature of Ambedkar in the drawing and if it would bother them if they find it in the textbook of their children.
"The whole issue could be portrayed in a more dignified way sir. Why should anybody beat anyone? Here, it is as though Ambedkar is at fault. If my child reads this in school, he will probably think Ambedkar was a useless person who was very slow when he was actually the person who gave up his life for people like us," they said.
So do they want the cartoon to be lifted from the book? "Yes," they smiled, before going back to the man hole.
Mohan and Vasu were not alone. I interviewed eight Dalits, including two women, from various professions and all of them were of the view that the cartoon was insensitive and needed revision.
It might be the case that the intention of the politician was to fire the controversy and earn mileage. But perhaps there is some truth to what they claim. Like one columnist said, when the Constitution that the book tried to explain could be amended over a 100 times, why not a school text book? Is that not a democratic process in itself, rather than rigidly holding on to the argument of "freedom of expression?" Just because the issue was raised by politicians, does it mean it cannot be real?
What surprised me though was that no media house in the country decided to go and field these questions on the ground.
(Views in the write-up are personal and not reflect that of my employer)